The fellow gave back,
staring from this deadly knife to her fierce eyes and reading there
the truth of her words, he turned and made off, spattering blood as he
went.
Relieved of his evil presence, I closed my eyes awhile feeling myself
very faint and sick; when I opened them again I saw her standing above
me, knife in hand, looking down on me with her sombre gaze.
"Kick me if you will!" I groaned.
"Why should I kick you?"
"Because I am a coward!" I mumbled, covering my bruised face. "I ran
away--and left you--"
"Still, I don't think I'll kick you," said she in a soft, grave voice,
"because although you runs away like a coward, you comes back again.
Though to be sure I didn't need you--"
"But," said I, keeping my face hidden, "I heard you cry out--"
"That was because I wished you to come back, though having my little
_churi_, I didn't need you; I've managed worse than him before
now! However, you did come back--which was more than I expected. But
I'll never call you 'young man' any more because you ain't a real man,
are you?"
"God help me!" I groaned, for added to my shame the pain of my hurts
was more than I could well bear, "O God help me!" And now indeed it
seemed that in some measure He answered my prayer, for, as I strove to
rise, the faintness seized me again and I sank to a blessed
unconsciousness.
CHAPTER XV
PROVING THAT A GODDESS IS WHOLLY FEMININE
I was lying beneath a tree, my head softly pillowed and wet with cool
water that refreshed me wonderfully; thus I presently turned my head
and glanced up into eyes that gazed down upon me, very beautiful eyes
these seemed, being soft and tender and darkly grey.
Pages:
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120